Your Morning Dump… Where Bill Russell puts LeBron James in his place

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

If you didn’t catch this in last night’s All Star game telecast, you missed Bill Russell putting LeBron James in his place over this whole “Mt. Rushmore” discussion. This is what Craig Sager relayed to the broadcast crew when they tossed to him after the first quarter (at the 1:15 mark of the video above).

“Before the game, LeBron James was talking to Bill Russell and Bill said ‘hey, thank you for leaving me off your Mount Rushmore.’ He said ‘I’m glad you did. Basketball is a team game, it’s not for individual honors. I won back-to-back state championships in high school, back-to-back NCAA championships in college, I won an NBA championship my first year in the league, an NBA championship in my last year, and nine in between. That, Mr. James, is etched in stone.”

Boom.

Now, I will say this: There is a LOT of irrational LeBron James hate around here. People got seriously pissed when we posted a video that called him a villain.

But he doesn’t do himself any favors either. The Mt. Rushmore talk is totally subjective, and when you’re picking 4 of the greatest out of all the greatest, someone is going to get left off. But leaving Russell off left LeBron open to this wonderfully stinging evisceration. Not only did it give Russell an opportunity to whip of a resume that is impossible to match, he did it right to LeBron’s face like a total bad-ass, and he did it in a way that would make most people feel a foot tall.

Remember this about LeBron… when he went to Miami, he said he gave up his number 23 because he said no one should wear it after Michael Jordan. He then chose 6….

Umm…

Intentional slight? Nah, probably not. It’s probably more lack of historical awareness. Still, these are the things LeBron does to fuel the hatred. A lot of what he does happens because he’s never had anyone tell him no once he became a basketball phenom. Luckily, Bill Russell doesn’t give a shit who you are. When he’s got a piece of his mind to give, you’ll sit there and take it.

Russell admitted that he never much enjoyed participating in All-Star Games because, in his heart, he only played basketball for the Celtics. But in 1963 in Los Angeles, he invited his father to the game and told him, “We’re going to win and I’m going to win MVP.” The next day, Russell did just that with 19 points and 24 rebounds in a 115-108 East victory.

His father’s reaction? “I didn’t know you were that good.”

“I never talked about basketball with my family,” Russell said. “But my father was my hero. He taught me to be a man by being one.”

And now, when Russell sits in the stands to watch the game’s current elite performers in the All-Star Game? “I hate to admit it,” he said, revving up for another cackle. “My thought is, I can kick his ass.’ “

Page 2: The Celtics may be struggling, but attendance isn’t

If you are a Celtics fan and you go to games at the Garden, then you have been part of the conversation at NBA All-Star Weekend. Officials from other teams admire your loyalty, and there might even be some envy.

According to ESPN’s figures, the Celts are filling 96.6 percent of their seats at home. They’re attracting people at a higher rate of their capacity than eight teams that are currently holding down playoff seeds. Only one of those teams, Portland, is averaging more people per game.

This is maybe a little self-congratulatory, but screw it… we deserve a little pat on the back.

I don’t expect fans to fill the arena for Tuesday nights against the Bucks. But despite the struggles, the Celtics are still drawing plenty of fans. When you look at how many empty seats there have been in arenas hosting playoff teams (Atlanta) or eventual champions (Miami), it’s nice to see a fan base stick by its team in down times too.

And I’m sure the team thanks you… those $8 beers aren’t going to drink themselves.

Absolutely beasted James there. The only 2 certain for a Mt Rushmore are Russell and Jordan. They two guys were team players and great individual performers at the same time. Same can be said with others like bird and Johnson I guess but LeBron doesn’t get it at all, was about time someone gave him a serious beatdown. Only players I see with both talent and a team playing attitude today are KD and rondo. Everyone else is too selfish

Jester00

one of the greatest quotes ever

bill_nair

GOAT

Curt Hays

Greatest. Post. Ever.

KGino

And I thought I loved Bill Russell before…

adam

awesome article. At his birthday honor I heard he said he could go out there right now and still win.

Curt Hays

A year or two ago he said something to the effect of “in the current league I’d probably only average 10 ppg…but that’s not bad for a 78 year old.” (However old he was at the time.)

“There is a lot of irrational hate around here for lebron…” Umm, if anything, there is a lot of irrational love for lebron amongst the Reds Army crew. Look, I respect Lebrons talent, but that is exactly how far my respect for him goes. He needed to collude with another top 5 player to win a championship, and even then needed the refs help to get by the celts for the first one, and played HORRIBLE down the stretch in the finals only to be saved by Judas for the 2nd (watch the last 3 min of the game, lebron hucks up TWO AIRBALLS.

Now my major problem is, he gets all the credit afterward. “Oh lebron is the greatest, REPEAT!” When in reality, had ray not hit that shot, he would have been the scapegoat yet again like the mavs series. Instead, I have to listen to everyone S on his D for a year straight.

The reason I get so heated you guys post a video of his buzzer beater is cuz IT HAD ZERO to do with the celts. For any fan that watches sports daily, WE ARE FORCE-FED Lebron on a daily basis. There have been PLENTY of other amazing game winners this year, yet you guys only choose to show a LEBRON one??? Can I ask why??

The bottom line is this is a sanctuary for us who bleed green. 24 hour news about our favorite team. Please do not become like the rest of the media and FORCE FEED us lebron. He is the best player on the planet, sure, but I have zero respect for how he won his championships as well as his off the court behavior. So please don’t tell us WE are irrational for telling you guys to get that sh out of here

Curt Hays

I’m with you on this. I wouldn’t call the hate irrational, emotional maybe. That’s what it is for me. However, I’m not worried about this site becoming like the rest of the media. Well, NOW I’m not worried, thanks to you.

Even though it was LBJ, I actually was glad that someone shared the video with me (along with all the other game winners that have been emailed to me), but maybe it should be a sidebar thing instead of a featured article.

Either way, I think green runs deep enough with John and Chuck that we have nothing to worry about. After all, this IS an article about Bill Russell letting LeBron know what’s what.

KGino

to be clear, I have zero problem with this article as it actually relates to the celtics. I have a ton of respect for those who run this site… But there is nothing wrong with checking them when they stray away from what makes them great, and that’s delivering CELTICS news

KWAPT

I love your Celtics enthusiasm-absolutely love it. And your support of our site is fantastic & I thank you for it. But just understand blogs report things that are relevant. Lebron James is a douchebag, but unfortunately, in the world of basketball, he’s relevant. As much as I hate it, that’s just the way it is. *Tupac voice* And this comes from a guy who is probably one of the most self-admitted over the top Lebron haters out there. Bleed green forever my man.

KGino

Thanks for the support KWAPT, much appreciated. I was startled for a minute that neither John nor Chuck seem to despise Lebron like we do… I’m the type of person who would not take him on our team if they gave him to us. Yes it’s incredibly stupid to say from a talent standpoint, but I just can’t stand the guy. Ever since Game 2 was stolen from us that year..

The only thing that rivals my love for the C’s is my hatred for the Heat… especially LeFlop… And i’m so happy at least one of you understands that so you understand why I lashed out. I took a little offense to the world “irrational” today because my hatred for the man is SO rational, as I’m sure it is for many other C’s fans.

Anyways, thank you guys for all that you do. Even with that Lebron post, you remain my favorite website on the internet… I just hope you think twice before posting anything that is favorable for Lebron in the future. But feel free to sh** on him all you want, lol.

Mike C

Well said! I would also like to see a vote as to if Reds Army fans want to read posts about Lebron when it has nothing to do with the Celtics in any way.

http://redsarmy.com/ John Karalis

First off… let’s have a little self awareness when holding “collusion” with other top players as a reason to belittle a championship, ok?

Secondly… you clicked on the link. You clicked play on the video. The headline was clearly marked that it was a LeBron post. The YouTube video, which does NOT auto play, is clearly marked a game-winning 3.

You could have just said “I hate LeBron, I’m not clicking this.” Instead, you flipped the fuck out. No one force fed you anything. We posted the video because it was a great shot and the reaction was was over the top. If anything, it was a perfect opportunity for you to shit on him some more. We even call him a villain in the post.

You are free to click on some, all, or none of our content. Don’t make it seem like we handcuffed you to your laptop and pressed ‘play’, though.

KGino

I did not press play thanks, I saw it on ESPN 10x before hand. The only reason I clicked the article was to express my disgust that it was posted on a celtics blog. Why not show the Syracuse shot instead? It was much better from a basketball fan standpoint.

And yes, this is just a blog, just a CELTICS blog. Not a heat blog. If I wanted heat news I wouldn’t be here. I’m just ashamed it was on here. It’s embarrassing for u guys if u ask me. You guys should know how your readers feel, after all they are the reason you do what u do… You guys need to understand most celtics fans hate the guy so why the F would u out his highlights on here… It’s disrespectful to me. It’s like going on a Red Sox blog and them posting an article about ARods walk off against the Angels. It has NO BUSINESS here

http://redsarmy.com/ John Karalis

We post NBA stuff all the time. We have an NBA section. We will occasionally do NBA pieces.

Disrespectful?

It’s just a video. You need to relax.

KGino

Just letting u guys know u lost a little respect from one of your biggest readers. That is all

Dustin Chapman

lol you literally lost respect for Red’s Army because they posted a story about LeBron? Haha. That’s sad and funny. Also, if you “can’t respect” how LeBron was the #1 reason for each of Miami’s back-to-back championships, you’re letting your opinion of LeBron’s personality blind you and rob you of appreciating true greatness. You probably scream “Kobe sucks!” too.

KGino

lol thanks for putting so many words into my mouth. I already said he was the best on the planet, what more do you want? And I don’t respect the path he took to get his rings, at all. He was able to choose his own team and teammates!

And quite honestly, I’ve come to respect Kobe a lot since Lebron came in the league, because I realize he could have been so much worse.

Dustin Chapman

So what. Get over it, welcome to 2014. Magic Johnson had Kareem and Worthy. Bird had McHale and Parish. Jordan had Pippen and Rodman/Grant. Shaq had Kobe and Wade. Etc. etc. etc. Who cares how the team was constructed. All the greats had greatness by their side. Whether he signed with Miami via free agency or was drafted by Miami, he is still the guy and you still have to get it done on the floor. He has. You hate it.

KGino

Lol well if you’re too blind or stupid to see how that’s completely different than how MJ Bird or Magic got their rings than that’s your problem. But to us normal folk, that tarnishes his legacy quite a bit

KGino

It also doesn’t help that the mobile site is so hard to use… That is def part of my frustration

Alex Costa

KGino, you need to adjust those panties you are wearing. It’s firmly stuck inside you.

KGino

Well, looks like i got a ton of support from other Cs fan s who clearly agree. Lets take this to a redsarmy vote to see who wants lebron news and who doesnt. Guarantee it comes up no lebron. Just cuz I’m Not afraid to tell these bloggers what dozens of other readers are thinking. And I will adjust my panties, my CELTICS panties. At least I’m not rockin a lebron thong under my celtics apparel like some of you seem to be

KGino

Last thing ill say about this is, this anger stems from my hate for lebron, so don’t take much offense. Sorry if you thought it was over the top but that’s how passionately I hate the man

Mike C

KGino is right on the money with this one. I don’t need to see that IDIOTS highlights on Reds Army…Ever! I get that crap shoved down my throat 12 times a night on sportscenter cause they think he’s the second coming of Christ. Please don’t post the Flop king our Celtics page.

Sports is the “toy department” of life…it`s only important in that it takes our minds off other things…and Reds Army is just a small part of that “escapism”.

On a slow news day…John simply posted a video of the NBA`s biggest star hitting an impressive game winner from the night before. Period. It`s not as if John was using this blog to demand the immediate release of the Boston Marathon Bomber!

This blog belongs to John, Chuck, KWAPT, etc……Last time I checked, they hadn`t asked us to be their “editors”.

Mike C

Yes, it’s there blog and they can post what ever they want… Now PLEASE don’t! This is my only escape from all that other none Celtics crap that floods sports center EVERY night .

RedsLoveChild

The pharmacy called….your meds have been re-filled, pick them up as soon as possible!

Mike C

Whoa,…. look who can’t take some criticism! Half the people on this post attacked KGino for his thoughts on Lebron and I make One mild comment after you & you throw a hissy fit. I’ll go get my meds refilled when you grow a pair of balls!

RedsLoveChild

Half the people on this post have IQ`s under 60….including you & KGino who have IQ`s in the single-digits!

KGino

lol yea RLC you didn’t wanna get owned again by me so you posted down here where no one would look… smart move.

“The half that didn’t attack him”… More like 75% of people must have scrolled by an up voted my comments, by my count its 50 upvotes to 2 down votes for my major posts on this topic… that’s over 96% positive. You might wanna take a step back and realize plenty of people feel the same way I do.

RedsLoveChild

I posted down here only because I arrived “late to the party” yesterday, well into the afternoon hours.

“Owned again by me”?!? You`re UNintentionally hilarious!

BTW…it was your “bud” {Mike C} who first wrote that “half the people attacked” you, not me. I was just quoting him.

Anyways, enjoy your very “rational” hatred of King James…I guess he must`ve raped, robbed, and murdered various beloved members of your family!

KGino

Leave it up to this a-hole to bring up raping and murdering my family members…

There is a reason nobody respects your opinions anymore, why you’ve been commenting less and less, why your comments are more likely to get down voted than up voted…. some of it is because a little while ago, I exposed you as the fraud of a fan that you are. Everybody who’s been a long time reader saw it, you’re just a pessimistic d-bag who avoids peoples rational arguments. I could even go back and get quotes of people saying “I come to this website just to see KGino sh** on RLC…” lol. I basically stripped you of your credibility. So I understand why you would make such a nasty comment… I am in your head like KG got in Melo & Dwight’s heads!!

I don’t know what fantasy world you live in where you think you haven’t been owned by me at least once in the art of debate. Or where you can’t hate somebody on a sports level… It’s not like I want the guy dead. Apparently you can’t differentiate the two… That’s like saying I love paul pierce and you saying then why don’t you marry him… It’s a completely different type of love/hate all together you immature miserable basterd. You just sunk to a new low.

RedsLoveChild

Nice “deflection”…but, you still haven`t revealed the “rational reasons” for your intense hatred for LBJ.

Is this Jr. High School? I`ve told you in the past.
Unlike you…I`m not posting here to win some juvenile popularity contest, or to get off on the up votes collected, or to gain self-validation and/or acceptance from total strangers.

If I cared about voting nonsense, I`d be doing exactly what you do. You know, write drivel like “LBJ is a disgrace”…”Rondo Rocks”.

KGino

What world do you live in where I’m the one deflecting? NOT ONCE HAS SOMEONE ASKED ME WHY I HATE LEBRON… You need to get your head checked.

The fact that you brought it to such a morbid and low level, when were on here to discuss sports… You’re not worth my time anymore. You’re down right crazy and miserable.

KGino

Go ask the 50 other ppl who agreed with me on this site or the millions of other fans who feel the same way why they hate lebron… You act like this is so uncommon. I could write a book as to why I dislike the guy.

RedsLoveChild

Yet, you refuse to reveal the “atrocities” LBJ has committed.

John merely mentions the “irrational LBJ hate around here”… reminds everyone that Reds Army has an NBA Section… posts a harmless vid of LBJ hitting a game winner…which, in turn, causes you to experience a full-blown emotional meltdown!!

And, I`m the one who is “crazy & miserable”???? Yeah, right.

KGino

You brought up MORBID TOPICS in an argument about sports, I think you set the standard for crazy and miserable with that one.

Sorry if you’re too stupid to understand that up votes are a way of people agreeing with you… Judging by how many people agree with me, and your inability to understand basic human emotion such as hatred in a sports environment, I’d say you must be missing half your brain.

The point is NOT THAT I HATE LEBRON, it’s that his game winners have NO BUSINESS being on this site. They have an NBA section yes, that they RARELY EVER POST RANDOM GAME WINNERS to. The point is, the majority of Celtics fans DISLIKE LEBRON and I guarantee if they put it to vote, people would prefer NOT TO SEE THAT STUFF ON THIS PARTICULAR SITE, when we are HAMMERED OVER THE HEAD WITH LBJ daily by the media ALREADY.

But since you asked, here are just a FEW of the thousands of reasons I hate Lebron…

1.) The Decision — publicly embarrassed his own city

2.) He is the poster boy for flopping. You are the best player in the game, he doesn’t need to cheat on top of it. I realize other players flop, but he IS THE POSTER BOY!

3.) He, like many other in the past, is BABIED by the refs.

4.) Once asked about his teams poor defensive rotations, he replied “If I could clone myself out there we would have been fine.” This is one of HUNDREDS of quotes where he proves to be selfish, a baby, sore loser, a bad teammate, immature, etc.

5.) A week before every dunk contest, LBJ holds his own at practice to show the media as a big F U to all the fans. He thinks he is “too good” for the dunk contest. He thinks he is above everyone else.

6.) He gets all the credit for his rings, yet never seems to give his teammates credit, when he OWES THEM BIG TIME.

7.) He, unlike every other great before him, was able to PICK HIS OWN TEAMMATES, and joined up with another TOP 5 player. Yes MJ had Pippen, Bird had Mchale, but they never HAND PICKED them as teammates. I would have respected him so much more if he stayed in CLE.

And those are just a few. I don’t have all day.

To the site moderator, I try to keep my comments clean and logical… But this guy brought up some pretty heinous comments about my family. He’s lucky IDK where he lives.

KGino

that rational enough for ya? Here’s an easy comparison for you since you seem like you need it SPELLED OUT for you.

There’s a song on the radio you dislike, yet everywhere you go they keep playing it. You can’t get away from it. It begins to get more and more annoying the more and more you hear it. And you hear it for about 3 years straight, almost daily, many times multiple times in a day. You begin to resent the song (even though the song didn’t do anything wrong to your family). Even though you started hating the song for its content, you hate it on a whole different level now that everyone won’t shut up about it, and are talking about how good it is.

Then one day, you turn on your favorite radio station, which you believe would NEVER play that song, as it is a completely different genre than the music they usually play. Yet they play it…

You are disappointed in your favorite radio station, and you explain the emotions that run through you upon hearing it via them. 96% of others who listen to that station agree with you. You are called “irrational” for hating it. You think this is a joke because you know thousands of other people feel the same way.

That is all that happened here. I never addressed any of it towards you, so why you chose to put my name in your mouth (or in your comment), without directing it at me, is beyond me. That was very “JR High” of you… Next time you got something to say, say it to my face, not way down here like a coward.

KGino

Oh and Mike C. — don’t bother arguing anymore with this guy, it’s pointless. If you don’t already know, he is one of the least respected commenters on this site… So a lot of us kinda just ignore him now lol.

RedsArmySambot5k

Gentlemen, keep it clean and keep it civil. All of you. Please and thank you. The moderator hammer is looming for this nonsense.

Mike C

Hey KGino, how long do you think we’ll have to wait till we see the 3/4 court shot from Trevor Ariza in the Hawks/Wizards game posted here? According to RLC this is just a ‘Basketball’ blog, … So where’s tonight’s highlight reel? We gave Lebron his 15 minutes on Reds Army! Think I’ll be waiting AWHILE for that video!

KGino

Gimme a freakin break eddy…It’s like you can’t criticize anyone anymore without being called a hater or jealous. Lebron has done PLENTY to deserve his hate (I could list SO MANY THINGS! Things you probably didn’t even realize about him, but i won’t).

I’d hate to do this, but look at the Bieber kid… No one really hated him til he started being a gigantic a-hole lately, now people want him deported. Are they haters? Or is their hate justified? Lebron has said and done many things to acquire his following of “haters”.

And I realize they post other NBA news, but they hardly EVER post random game winners by other teams… My point is, why this one, when you know the majority of your readers dislike the guy… It makes zero sense to me.

You can call it immature, but I call it passion man… Call me crazy, immature, whatever, you’re entitled to your opinion. But you should learn to respect someone else’s when it’s clear that SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE feel the same way.